Shower bath cabinet



Nov. 7, 1933.

A. E. JONES 1,933,857

SHOWER BATH CABINET Original Filed Nbv. 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Nov. 7, 1933 Uiii'iED STATES SHOWER BATH CABINET Arthur E. Jones, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to; Henry Weis Manufacturing Company, Inc., Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application November 496,117. Renewed 23 Claims.

This invention relates to showerbath cabinets and among other objects aims to provide a simple and satisfactory knock-down shower both cabinet which may be readily assembled at the point of installation.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to one shower cabinet embodying the invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a shower cabinet.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the receptor and lower portion of the side walls as viewed from the front or open side of the cabinet, a portion of the receptor and side walls being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is enlarged interior elevation showing a pair of abutting or adjoining wall sections, with the covering strip removed.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a strip covering the joint between two wall sections.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan section of the shower cabinet.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the joint construction and taken approximately on the plane 6-5 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is an inside elevation of a corner strip, a portion of which is shown on a larger scale in Fig. i.

The illustrative shower cabinet comprises a receptor 10 rising above which are side walls 11 consisting of flexible sheet metal wall sections 12. 13 and 14 assembled to form an enclosure. The receptor is here shown. as cast from a plastic composition such as terrazzo and consists of a rectangular bottom 15 having a waste opening 16 therein and integral side walls 17 which form an impervious basin to receive and discharge the shower water. -A portion of the side wall 17 at the front of the receptor is finished with a fiat edge 18 to form a sill for the door or entrance to the cabinet.

The sections 12 and 1 1 are here shown formed to provide not only the two side walls to the receptor but the front wall adjoining the door opening 13, and for this purpose the metal is bent at 29 to provide a portion 21 extending at right angles thereto. The inner margin of the latter portion is bent into rectangular form as at 22 to provide a stile or jamb for the door open ing. The lower portion of each of the wall sections is flanged inwardly as at 23 (Fig. 6) to provide a supporting or base flange resting on the upper edge of the receptor side walls. As

17, 1930, Serial No. February 29, 1932 here shown the upper surface of the latter side, walls is inclined downwardly into the receptor and the flanges 23 are correspondingly inclined. At the corners of the front and side walls the flanges 23 are advantageously welded or brazed together as at 24 to provide a leakproof joint.

The adjoining or butting edges of the respective side wall sections are provided with inwardly extending projecting portions in the form of flanges 25 and 26 which are arranged to lie parallel to each other, Where the joint between two angularly disposed sections occurs at the corners formed thereby, the marginal flanges 25 and 26 are bent at an acute angle which in case of a rectangular enclosure is approximately The lower edges of the flanges are secured to the base flange 23 of their respective sections by welding or other means which provide a leakproof joint.

The joint between adjoining sections is covered or concealed by an imperforate cover strip 27 extending from top to bottom of the joint and preventing direct access of splashing water to the joint. The cover strip is here shown provided with connecting means in the form' of spaced clips or ears 28 which embrace the inwardly projecting portions 25 and 250i the side walls.

The space 29 between the clips 28 is approximately equal to the distance between the faces of the inwardly extending projections 25 and 26 and thus when applied holds them closely together and thereby connects the adjoining side wall sections. The clips 28 are located at intervals along the cover strip and in this case are integral portions of a locking or connecting strip 30 located inside the cover strip 27. The connecting strip 30 is advantageously made of relatively heavy gauge sheet metal to provide adequate strength, thereby permittingthe use of a relatively thin gauge metal for the covering metal 27 which is thus not subjected to the strain of connecting the wall sections together. This facilitates formation of the strip and also permits the use of more expensive metal such as stainless steel and the like for the cover metal 27 without involving prohibitive expense.

The connecting strip 30 is bent longitudinally to extend around the inwardly projecting porto draw the joint strip tightly against the side no walls and for this purpose cooperate with laterally pr jecting lugs 32 in the form of flange sections integral with the flanges 25 and 26 and bent outwardly at angles thereto. The spacing of the lugs 32 corresponds to that of the clips 28 which may be passed behind the former by first passing the clips 28 over the flanges 25 and 26 in the regions 33 between the respective pairs of lugs 32. .Thereupon the joint strip is moved longitudinally of the side walls to carry the clips 28 behind the flanges 32. The lower extremities 34 of the clips 28 are bent outwardly at an angle to the ,vertical to provide cam sur:

faces which not only draw the joint strip tightly against the side walls but because of the diverging space 35 between the clips, draw the flanges 25 and 26 tightly together.

In applying a joint strip after the side wall sections have been positioned on the receptor it is necessary merely to engage the extremities 34 with the upper portions of the' flanges 32 and to apply a downward force on the strip. This results in drawing the strip tightly into the corner and forming a relatively tight joint at 36 between the sections as well as at 37 between the joint strip and the sections respec tively. The lower extremity 38 of thecover and joint strip extends below the bottom flange 23 of the side sections and after assembly is advantageously bent inwardly by a blow of a hammer to fit the metal more closely into the corner of the shower cabinet. The aforesaid construction makes leakage at the joints between the sections practically impossible since even though moisture should creep through the joint 37 between the joint strip and the side wall it could not issue from the outer walls of the shower without passing through the joint 36 which is spaced from the joints 37. Any moisture leaking through the joints 37 would drain downwardly inside the strip and eventually flow through the space '39 adjacent the bottom flange 23. There is no capillary passage connecting joints 37 and 36 by which moisture might creepby'capillarity from one joint to the other. It should be noted in this connection that the lower pair of flanges 32 not only do not extend into contact with the bottom flange 23 but there is a considerable space beyond the ends of these flanges past which the leakage may flow.

Hence, there is no possibility of the collection of any water inside the joint strip.

To prevent the possibility of rattling or metallic noises which might be caused by vibration contact between the metal of the side walls and that of the edges of the joint strip. a cushion in the form of longitudihalstrips 40 extends along the edges of the joint strip and directly engages the metal of the side walls. This cushioning material may comprise a strip of any well known water proof packing material, such as woven asbestos packing, which is sufliciently soft to distort or compress slightly upon contact with the side walls and so as not itself to create any noise upon vibration of the side walls of the shower. The cushioning strips are here shown as held in grooves 41 in thejoint strip formed by return bends of the extremities 42 of the cover metal 27. The extremities 42 may be indented at intervals by a prick punch or the like to hold the packing material in place.

The side walls are connected with the receptor by marginal base flanges 43 which extend downwardly and into an interior groove'44 extending around the receptor walls 17. When the side walls are positioned with the flange 43 in the groove they are automatically looked against removal from the receptor base by the application of the joint strip which firmly connects adjacent sections together and thus prevents the relative movement which would be necessary to displace a section from the receptor. The engaging surfacesof the groove 44 and flange 43 are inclined or beveled as at 45 so that when the sections are forced into place and locked by the joint strip, the connection with the receptor will be tight and any possibility of vibration will be avoided.

Inward movement of the side walls adjacent the door opening is prevented by blocks 46 of some non-corrosive material such as brass which are cast in the receptor base and provide a strong abutment 47 against which the extremities of the flanges 43 adjacent the door opening may seat. The material of the receptor itself is thus not required to resist the cutting action of the edge of the metal of the side walls. The blocks 45 are anchored in the receptor by appropriate anchor projections 48.

The side walls may be easily assembled on the receptor by first inserting the terminal edge of the front face 21 of either wall section 12 or 14 against-its abutment 4'7 provided the block and then swinging the side wall into position until its bottom flange seats in groove 44. The flanges 23 being welded together as at 24 and also welded to the vertical flange25, the wallsection is sufficiently rigid so that the side wall will serve as a lever by which to force the front portion 21 into position between the abutment 47 and the corner of the receptor. After this section is peeltioned, the back section 13 is positioned with its vertical flange 26 engaging the flange 25 and-then swung about this line of engagement as an axis until its bottom flange is seated in groove 44.

Then the other side'section is positioned with its flange 25 engaging the-opposite flange 26 of the back section and swung about this line of engagement as an axis until it approaches final po-- sition. As it approaches final position, the lower edge of flange 43 will engage the outer face of the block 46 forming the abutment 47, and some pressure will have to be applied to force the section outwardly toward the side of the receptor until flange 43 clears its abutment and snaps into its groove 44. This pressure can most conveniently be applied at the edge of the portion 19 by some means across the door opening which tends to force apart the portions 21 at opposite sides of the door opening. The force thus applied will cause the wall section to move into position and the flange 43 to clear the abutment and snap into place. When this is in place, all sections are held in place by the engagement of the side edges of the portions 21 with their respective abutments 4'7. In order to displace a wall section. one of the portions 21 must be sprung back until its flange 48 clears its abutment 4'7.

A lintle 49 extends across the upper portion of the door opening and is connected to the door jambs by bolts or other appropriate means of connection. It is apparent from the foregoing that the joint between the side wall sections is not impaired by slight relative movement between the side wall sections such as would inevitably occur because of the flexure of the sheet metal side walls. It is, therefore, possible to use a relatively thin gauge side wall material without danger of leakage or the possibility that the-structure of the cabinet would be considered flimsy and unsubstantial because of metallic vibration noises at the joints which are prevented by the cushioned joint strip. The side walls may be finished by either paint or enameling. Indeed, the sections are of such a character that they may advantageously be provided with a baked enamel coating.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrative construction since these may be variously modified. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly since various features may advantageously be employed in different combinations and sub-combinations.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a molded composition receptor having a waste outlet and provided with integral sides having an interior groove extending around said sides, a plurality of flexible sheet metal sections rising from said side walls and having base flanges extending into said interior groove, inwardly extending marginal flanges on the adjoining edges of said sections, and a locking strip covering the joint between said sections to pre vent leakage of splashing shower water through said joint and holding said flanges together to retain said base flanges in said groove.

2. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a receptor, a plurality of flexible sheet metal wall sections rising from said receptor, an imperforate joint strip covering the joint between adjacent sections and provided with marginal grooves, connecting means for holding said strip tightly against the wall sections on opposite sides or" said joint, and cushioning material in said grooves to prevent vibration noises'between said strip and wall sections.

3. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a receptor, a plurality of flexible sheet metal wall sections rising from said receptor, an imperforate joint strip covering the joint between atjacent sections, connecting means for holding said strip tightly against the wall sections on opposite sides of said joint, and cushioning material associated with said strip to prevent vibration noises between said strip and wall sections.

4. A shower bat-h cabinet comprising in combination a pair of adjoining sheet metal wall sections having inwardly extending portions adjacent the joint between said sections, a joint strip on the interior of said cabinet covering said joint, and projections on the interior of said strip engaging said portions to connect said sections, said portions and projections having relatively inclined surfaces for wedging said strip into tight engagement with said respective sections to form a tight joint between said respective sections and said strip.

5. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a plurality of sheet metal wall sections having adjacent flanges projecting into the interior of the cabinet, said flanges being provided with spaced pairs of laterally extendng ears, a joint strip covering said flanges and having on its interior spaced pairs of flanges adapted to register with said ears, said ears and flanges having relatively inclined cam surfaces to draw said strip into tight engagement with said sections.

6. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a pair of adjoining sheet metal wall sections having inwardly extending portions adjacent the joint between said sections, a connecting strip extending along said joint and engagmg said portions to connect said sections together,

and a relatively thin imperforate sheet metal covsaid sections together and to draw said strip I toward said sections, and an imperforate sheet metal covering of relatively thin gauge over said strip and held thereby tightly against said sections. 7

8. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination an impervious receptor having a waste outlet, a plurality of. sheet metal wall sections resting on said recepto'r'having adjacent flanges projecting into the interior of the cabinet, 2, joint strip extending over said flanges to cover the joint between said sections, and opposing projections on the interior of said strip arranged to engage portions of the respective sections, said projections being spaced apart a distance equal tothe spacing of said engaged portions when said flanges are in contact, thereby. to press said sections together. 1 I

9. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination, a receptor havingsides for receiving cabinet side walls, abutting sheet metal sections forming the back and side walls of the cabinet supported by said receptor and having base flanges in engagement with inside surface of the receptor sides, and an interior joint strip covering the joint between the abutting sections constructed and arranged to connect said sections together to hold said base flanges in position on said receptor sides and connecting said sections together.

10. A shower bath structure comprising in combination sheet metal side walls arranged to form I an enclosure and terminating at spaced points to provide an entrance opening, and a receptor conforming in shape to the outline of the side walls and having sides provided with an interior seat receiving the lower ends of said side walls, said seat terminating at each side of said door opening and provided with abutments against which the edges of the side walls-adjacent said opening abut, whereby said side walls are held against displacement from said seat.-

ll. A shower bath structure comprising in combination a rectangular receptor having vertical sides, a portion of one side forming a door sill, said sides having an interior recess extending around the same and terminating at the end of the door sill, sheet metal side walls seated in said recess and terminating at the ends of said sill to provide a door and'having bottoin'iianges resting on the top edge of said receptor sides, said receptor having abutments at the ends of said recess against which the terminal" edges of said side wall abut to hold said side walls seated in sa d recess.

7 12. A shower bath structure comprising in combination a rectangular receptor having vertical sides, a portion of one side forming a door sill,,said sides having'an interior groove extend- I ing around the. same and terni'nating at the end of the door sill, a plurality of side wall sec tions arranged to join at the corners of the receptor and having bottom flanges resting on said receptor side and extending into said groove, said side walls terminating at said sill to provide a door opening, and abutments at the ends of said groove against which the terminal edges of said side walls abut to hold said flanges in said groove. 13. A shower bath structure comprising in combination a rectangular receptor having vertical sides, a portion of one side forming a door sill, said sides having an interior recess extending around the same and terminating at the end of the door sill, sheet metal wall sections forming an enclosure provided with an entrance opening, certain of said sections forming the side of the enclosure and the portion of the front wall thereof adjacent the entrance opening, said sections having bottom flanges connected at the corners to hold the front portions in position relative to the sides of the section, said sections being seated in the recess in the receptor and said flanges resting on the receptor sides, and abutments at the ends of said recess against which the inner edge of the front portion abuts.

14. A shower bath structure comprising. in combination a rectangular receptor having vertical sides, aportion of .one side forming a door sill, said sides having an-interior recess extending around the same and terminating at the end of the door sill, sheet metalwall sections forming an enclosure provided with an entrance opening, certain of said sections forming the side of the enclosure and the portion of the front wall thereof adjacent the entrance opening, said sections having bottom flanges connected at the corners to hold the front portions in position relative to the sides of the section, said sections being seated in the recessin the receptor and said flanges resting on the receptor sides, abutments at the ends of saidrecess against which the inner edge of the front portion abuts,randa back wall section engaging the rear edges of said side sections and cooperating to hold the latter in place.

15. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination, a receptor, a plurality of flexible sheet.

metal sections rising from, said receptor and having along their adjacent sides inwardly extending flanges, and interior imperforate joint strips covering the joint formed by said flanges and having opposing spaced metal clips whose side edges engage said flanges, the space between said clips being tapering to'cause them to hold said flanges tightly together.

16. A shower bath cabinet of the character described comprising in combination a receptor, a plurality of sheet metal side wall sections ris ing from said receptor, the adjacent sides of adjoining side wall sections having inwardly turned imperiorate flanges providing a joint between said sections, a joint strip on the interior of said cabinet covering said flanges and engaging the inner face of said sections on opposite sides of said flanges and at points removed from said flanges, whereby leakage around said strip is denied direct access to the joint between said imperforate flanges. i

17. A shower bath cabinet of the character described comprising in combination a receptor,'a plurality of sheet metal side wall sections rising from said receptor, the adjacent sides of adjoining side wall sections having inwardly turned imperforate flanges in engagement and providing a capillary joint between said sections, a joint strip on the interior of said cabinet covering said strip being hollow on the interior and open at the bottom to allow leakage on the interior of the strip to drain down into the receptor.

18. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination an impervious receptor having a waste outlet, a plurality of sheet metal wall sections resting on said receptor having adjacent flanges projecting into the interior of the cabinet, a joint strip extending over. said flanges to cover the joint between said sections, and projections on the interior of said strip in engagement with said flanges to hold said sections together.

19. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a receptor, a plurality of flexible sheet metal wall sections rising from said receptor, an imperforate joint strip covering the joint between adjacent sections, connecting means for holding said strip tightly against the wall sections onropposite sides of said joint, and cushioning material along the side edges of said joint strip to prevent vibration noises between said strip and wall sections.

20. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a pair of adjoining sheet metal wall sections having inwardly projecting portions adjacent the joint between said sections, a joint strip on the interior of said cabinet covering said joint, and wedging means carried by said strip and adapted to engage said inwardly projecting portions to force the said portions together so as to press said sections together to form a tight joint between said sections.

21. 'A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination a pair of adjoining sheet metal wall sections having inwardly extending portions adjacent the joint between said sections, a joint strip on the interior of said cabinet covering said joint, and projections on the interior of said strip having opposed wedging faces adapted to engage said portions on respective wall sections to draw the same more closely together to cause said sections to be pressed tightly together.

22. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination'a plurality of sheet metal wall sections having adjacent edges, spaced lugs on the interior of said sections adjacent the joint between said sections, a joint strip extending over said lugs to cover the joint between said sections, opposed wedging surfaces on the interior of said strip seated behind said lugs to attach said sections together and to draw said strip tightly against said sections.

23. A shower bath cabinet comprising in combination, a receptor, a plurality of sheet metal sections rising from said receptor and forming a cabinet enclosure polygonal in cross section, each section forming a flat side of said cabinet and 

